Men lose two while women celebrate wrestling first

By Ian RossGazette Staff

It was a bitter-sweet farewell to varsity wrestling for Mustang Scott Proctor at the CIAU national championships this past weekend at Guelph University.

Proctor, the team captain for the past three seasons, wrestled to his worst finish since 1996, finishing fourth in the 72 kilogram weight class. Last season he won the bronze medal at the nationals and in 1997 captured second place Canadian honours.

"I didn't do as well as I had hoped to do," the graduating senior said. "It's frustrating. I haven't been healthy all year."

A neck pinch has plagued the former all-Canadian this season causing numbness in both arms.

Proctor said he hopes to stay in wrestling after graduation, hinting about the possibility of returning to the Mustangs as an assistant coach. For now, the idea of retirement is a little unsettling.

"I didn't think about it too much before the meet," he said. "Afterwards it sunk in."

The loss of Proctor will usher in a new era in team leadership for the Mustangs. Teammate Belinda Chou said it was just natural to turn to Proctor for advice on technique or strategy, treating his advice as if it came from a coach.

"I'm upset he is leaving," Chou said. "We need someone like him to look up to."

Kyle Chocorlan, the team's other graduating athlete, was the only Mustang man to finish on the podium, winning a bronze in the 57 kg class. Overall, the team finished seventh behind the national champion Brock Badgers.

While the finals marked the last performances of two Mustang men, the women competed in the first official CIAU sanctioned women's wrestling championship.

Chou, the most experienced Western wrestler, in her second year on the team, finished third in the 61 kg class, while rookie Ruth Frei also captured bronze at 65 kg.

Western head coach Ray Takahashi admitted he was stunned by the rapid growth in varsity women's wrestling. "The level of quality and quantity has improved so much that it's unbelievable," he said. "I thought we had a strong team this year but unfortunately so did everyone else."

Overall, the women finished in sixth, while the University of Calgary took top honours. McMaster finished just ahead of Western for fifth place in the women's division.

Marauder head coach Dave Mair was pleased with his team's results and said the bulk of talent in the Canadian women's ranks arrived from the western provinces. Mair said while women's wrestling is still new in Ontario, it has a long history out west.

As for Western, Mair said the Mustangs have a strong young core to build from. "Western did a great job this year with a very young team," he said. "Unfortunately the West has the edge right now."